Gragg to play senior season at Dumas

Friday

May 30, 2014 at 3:43 AMMay 30, 2014 at 7:47 AM

Will Gragg will finish his education where he started it.

Will Gragg will finish his education where he started it.

The standout tight end will spend his senior year at Dumas — where he went to school from kindergarten through fourth grade — after his father, Kelvin, accepted the district’s superintendent job earlier this week.

Gragg said it would be hard to leave Pine Bluff High School but that he fully supports his dad’s decision.

"It’s always hard to leave a place when you’ve grown accustomed to it," he said. "From a recruiting standpoint, I feel I’ve done all I can do.

"This is one of my dad’s dream jobs, so it’s really a no-brainer."

The highly touted recruit, who has offers from over 40 schools across the country, said his family discussed the possible move beforehand.

"We had talked about it," Gragg said. "We had a family meeting with my parents, my brother and me to kind of talk about the what-ifs.

"And it played out that he got the job. We’re all excited for him."

Gragg tweeted out his impending move on Twitter Thursday night. After posting the tweet, he said he received plenty of congratulatory messages from college coaches. Gragg also confirmed Friday he’s still planning to announce his college decision on Nov. 18.

"That’s still the plan," he said, adding he’s spoken with ESPN about possibly covering the announcement. "I’ve talked with them two or three times.

"We’re still trying to get everything set in stone."

Last season, Gragg and the Zebras, who finished with a 9-4-1 mark, reached a second-straight 6A title game, losing 31-24 to El Dorado. Gragg finished the year with 29 receptions for 312 yards and five touchdowns while earning All 7A/6A-South honors.

"It’s been vital," Gragg said of the coaching he’s received at Pine Bluff. "When I got here, I couldn’t block a soul. The Zebra power-running game has made me learn how to be a blocker. It helped a tremendous amount.

"I’m very grateful."

Now, Gragg will return to a place with which, despite being gone for about seven years, he’s fairly familiar. He said he’s excited to help the Bobcats improve on last season’s 2-9 record.

"I’ve still got a couple good friends down there," he said of Dumas. "I look forward to being able to help them. They’ve been kind of on the down side, and they didn’t do so well last year.